Lemon Pistachio Cornmeal Muffins

A lemony cornmeal muffin made a bit decadent by the nutty flavor of pistachio.

Do you guys know what a Monet is?

Okay, obviously the French impressionist painter but we’re going more of the urban dictionary route here. You know. The Clueless definition.

To directly quote Cher, it’s something that “from far away [looks] okay, but up close it’s a big old mess”.

That’s what I’ve always felt corn muffins taste like.

Good in principle with their fine crumb that has just a hint of texture from the gritty cornmeal but kind of anti-climactic when you get all up close and personal with that first bite and realize that whatever you just ingested was so not worth the calories. Blech.

In short.

They are long overdue for a makeover.

So like Cher with Tai, I put them in a pretty new pistachio-infused dress, added a few drops of lemon, and all of a sudden they’re getting catcalled left and right.

The true test, of course, is that first bite and let me tell you, something magical happens when you ground up pistachios to a fine powder and throw them into the corn muffin mix. All of a sudden what was once a plain Jane breakfast good is now a total Betty. Decadent, rich, and absolutely worthy of your morning indulgence. Dare I say, even the girls of Beverly Hills High School would approve.

A lemony cornmeal muffin made a bit decadent by the nutty flavor of pistachio.

Yield: 12-15 muffins

Ingredients

½ cup shelled pistachios, divided

2 large eggs

¾ cup greek yogurt

2 tsp lemon juice

zest of ½ lemon

3 oz unsalted butter, melted and cooled

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1¼ cups yellow cornmeal

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

Instructions

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the pistachios until they are coarsely chopped. Set aside ¼ cup of the pistachios, but continue to process the rest of them until they are powdery.

Heat the oven to 400. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add in the greek yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and butter. Whisk until combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, pulverized pistachios, salt and baking powder. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.

Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full. Sprinkle the tops with the coarsely chopped pistachios. Tap the bottom of the pan against a flat surface (counter or table) to make sure the batter is level and there are no air pockets. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from tin.

Yum. I actually “made” cornbread last night (from the TJ’s mix). I’ve definitely had a corn muffin in my day that was dry and crumbly so I can see where you’re coming from. Love your fancy update though!

I’ve been looking for a good corn muffin recipe for a LONG time – i totally agree they are totally lackluster, or worse, dry. Ick ALLL OVER. these look lovely though, and, honestly, doesnt a bi of lemon make everything a little better?

I’ve had cornbread on the brain lately, so I’m all over your sweet and breakfast-appropriate version here! I wouldn’t have thought of adding pistachios into the equation, but now that I see it, it makes perfectly delicious sense. Since my mom loves cornbread and my dad loves pistachios, I think the whole family might even be able to enjoy this one.

Oh my gosh, I love that movie and all your references to it (totally forgot about “total Betty!”) made me so nostalgic. I just sold my copy of the DVD at our garage sale but I suppose it’s probably available on Netflix if I get really sentimental about it. haha! You certainly dressed these muffins up proper girl!

yes, ohyesyesysyes. I’ve been mildly obsessed with pistachios lately, dreaming up some sort of pistachio-cardamom ice cream blend. THIS recipe with lemon and cornmeal, I’m adding it to my list for sure!!

So funny and that movie is a modern-day classic. What a wonderful corn muffin make-over!

As I browsed through your past week’s worth of recipes my other favorite in the zucchini and basil recipe. I should be having baby zucchini growing soon and with fresh basil from my herb pots these will be served here soon.

I love your addition of lemon, greek yogurt and ground up pistachios to these muffins! I haven’t been much a fan of corn meal muffins, or bread, but this recipe definitely makes cornmeal appealing! yum!

Oh holy cow, you’re killing me with these. Lemon poppyseed is one of my favourite muffin flavours, cornbread muffins are a close second, and I love all things pistachio. You’ve managed to combine all three!

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